The Fraternal Order of Police says the officer is upset over the incident.

Earlier this month, police said Janard Cunningham pistol whipped an unidentified Birmingham police detective during the course of a traffic stop.

The detective remained anonymous and told CNN Friday why he hesitated to shoot the suspect.

"A lot of officers are being too cautious because of what's going on in the media. I didn't want to be in the media like I am right now."

David Crews, with Birmingham's Fraternal Order of Police, supports the detective's decision to talk.

"There's always two sides. That's his opinion if he wants to speak. Sometimes you want to get the other side. If you don't get your side, people formulate opinions and it might not be the right one,” he said.

On the day of the incident, Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls said the suspect made comments eluding to relations between police officers and citizens in recent weeks as part of the motivation for the attack.

"It's very disturbing when an officer is worried about doing his job and doing it correctly. You're expected to go out and do your job and if you do it well, you should be commended at the end of the day,” Crews said.